Improvement in steam-superheaters for evaporating salt, and for other purposes



L. R. CORNELL.

Steam Superhea'ters for Evapnrating Salt and for other Purposes.

I Patented September 2,1873.

All. PHOTO-Z/THMRAFHIL Ca. Al. ESEDRIIII'S PROMISE! UNITED STATESLEFFERT R. OORNELL, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

IMPROVEMENT IN STEAM-SUPERHEATERS FOR EVA PORA TING SALT, AND FOR OTHERPURPOSES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 142,440, datedSeptember 2, 1873; application filed July 10,1872.

v To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LEFFERT R. CORNELL, of Brooklyn, in the county ofKings and State of New York, have invented certain Improvements inSuperheaters, of which the following is a specification:

One of the principal objects of this invention is to furnish asuperheater in which the heat shall be so applied as to give the highestdegree of heat to that portion of the steam which has passed nearlythrough it, and a lower degree of heat to that portion of the steamwhich shall have just entered the superheater. Another object is tosecure a more perfect economization of the heat applied than hasheretofore been realized. Another object is to produce a more economicalconstruction of a superheater of given capacity than any 110w in use.This invention consists, in part, in the construction of the portionwhich is to contain the steam when superheated of a series of rings, ortheir equivalent, placed one above another, having a series of bulbs onsame, for a purpose hereinafter set forth,

and arranged and connected in the manner hereinafter described, by whichthe steam is made to traverse each ring before it is admitted to the oneabove it. Said invention also consists, in part, in the combination of aseries of ringsv so constructed and connected with a reverberatoryfurnace, as hereinafter more fully set forth. Said invention alsoconsists, in part, in the construction of the said reverberatory furnacewith a spiral flue extending from the lower part thereof to the upperpart thereof, or to the chimney, and built into the wall thereof, ashereinafter more fully set forth; and, also, in the combination of thereverberatory furnace, having a flue leading from the bottom thereof,with a series of rings, or their equivalent, having the peculiarfeatures hereinbefore mentioned.

Figure 1 is a horizontal section of my superheater taken through theline at m, Figs. 2 and 3. Fig. 2 is a vertical section of the furnacetaken from side to side, and a front view of the series of ringshereinbefore mentioned. Fig. 3 is a vertical section of my apparatustaken from front to back.

A A A A A are hollow castiron rings,

which form the portion of my apparatus in which the steam is containedto be superheated. These rings are connected to each other by shortvertical sections a a cast in the same piece with each section, asshown. These rings have also enlargements or bulbs b b therein, partlyfor the purpose of leaving space for the expansion of the steam, andpartly for the purpose of furnishing additional heatingsurfaces. Theconnection between the rings A A A A A, which would otherwise be open,is closed or cut off alternately on the front and back sides of the coilby plates or disks 0 c interposed between the ends of the sections a a,or one of the sections on each disk maybe cast closed; or any other modeof closing up this connection that may be preferable may be adopted.Steam is admitted into the ring A through the induction-pipe B and theopening through the sections on a in front, between the ring A and thering A, being closed, the steam necessarily passes around through theright and left hand portions of the ring A to the back side thereof,where, the connection through the sections a a being open from the ringA to the ring A, the steam rises at that point into the ring A, and, theconnection between it and the ring A at that point being closed, thesteam necessarily passes forward through the right and left handportions of the ring to the front, where, the connection through thesections to a to the ring A being open, the steam rises into the ring A,and, the connection through the sections a a between the rings A" and Abeing closed in front, the steam passes around through the right andleft hand por-' tions of the ring A, and thence in the same mannerthrough rings A and A to the eduction-pipe 0, through which it is takento the point where it is to be used. Steam is thus made to pass over theentire internal surface of each ring before it passes to the ring above.D is a round reverberatory furnace, the surfaces of the steam-currentbeing repeatedly broken by the bulbs b b, and thewhole body of saidcurrent being brought into direct contact with the hot metal, archedover at the top in the forniof a dome, d; and it may also have aninternal arch, a, with dead-air space between the two, which Enron.

construction I recommend as being adapted to more perfectly retain theheat. This furnace D is provided with a grate, E, which may be tilted bythe lever I and said furnace is also provided with a well or ash-pit, G,which may be kept filled with water for the purpose of extinguishing thefire by dumping the latter therein should it be desirable. This furnaceD is so constructed as to leave a small space between it and the seriesof rings above described, and is further provided with a flue orchimney, f, extending through and out of the top thereof; and the draftthrough this chimney or opening is controlled by a damper, g, whichshould be left open when starting the fire, but may be closed when thefire is well ignited. H is a flue, which is built into the wall of thefurnace D, and carried spirally around it, as shown in Fig. 3, to thetop thereof, where it enters the chimney. This flue has also a damper,h, to control the draft, as it will often be found that the draftthrough this flue, if fully open, will be too great for the purposesrequired, even when the damper g is entirely closed. Both the dampers gand h should be made of fireclay, and the reverberatory furnace shouldbe made of, or lined with, fire-brick. I is an ash'pan under the grate,which ash-pan may be drawn out for the removal of the ashes or dumpingof the grate, or for other purposes, by means of a handle, 45. j is anopening into the well or ash-pit G, to facilitate its being convenientlyfilled with water, and also to facilitate the removal of the debris ofthe fire after it is dumped.

It will be obvious, from a consideration of the construction hereindescribed, that the heat will be much greater in the upper part of thefurnace, and will be especially ardent upon the upper rin A, whichreceives the direct radiation from the crown as well as the sides of thefurnace, and that the steam, being made to pass into and through thelower ring first, and then rising into and passing through the next oneabove it, and so on in the same manner through the series, is firstintroduced into the ring, which is subjected to the least heat of all,and gradually, as it becomes heated, subjected to higher heat till it isdischarged from the superheatcr.

The design of the bulbs is to more thoroughly break up the surfaces ofthe steam in its passage through the superheater, and the invention isvaluable in proportion to the extent to which this is accomplished;hence it is obvious that, the steam being thoroughly broken up by theseries of bulbs on the rings, they are an essential part of theinvention, as by this means the whole body of the steam is brought intodirect contact with the hot metal, which is the best means for obtaininga rapid gain of heat.

It will also be obvious that a great saving of the heat, which wouldotherwise be lost by passing into the chimney, will be effected bytaking oh" the products of combustion in the lower part of the furnace,and conducting them through the spiral flue built into the wall, asabove described, as less heat will be drawn into the flue at the bottomof the furnace than should be carried off from aflue passing directlyupward from the upper part of the furnace through the crown; and,besides, the heat which does pass off with the products of combustioninto the spiral flue is part of it imparted to the brick, and helps toprevent the heat being lost by radiation from the inside of the furnace.

It is also obvious that the double crown of the furnace helps to preventradiation upward from the inside of the furnace.

It is obvious that the form of the rings may be slightly varied withoutchanging the essential character of the invention, or materiallyinterfering with the operation of the apparatus-as, for example, therings A A A A A, instead of being curved in the exact form of a circle,may be curved in the form of an ellipse, and connected in the mannerdescribed, the furnace being made in a corresponding form; or the flue Hmay be varied from an exact spiral form and still answer the samepurpose, substantially in the same way.

This superheater is of especial value in open evaporation or evaporationunder pressure. In the manufacture of salt, for instance, where openevaporation is employed, it may be used with most economical results. Byits use a saving of two-thirds may be efiected. In other words, thetools, fuel, and strength and temperature of brine being the same inboth cases, by using the superheated steam from this superheater, fivethousand pounds of salt may be obtained against three thousand obtainedby the use of natural steam.

In all cases of open evaporation a proportionate gain will be made, andin cases where it is used under pressure-for instance, in the boiling ofrags in the manufacture of papera great gain will be effected. Bluerags, requiring ordinarily fourteen hours to reduce to pulp, have beenreduced, by the aid of this superheater, to pulp in six hours time.

It would be difficult to specify all the purposes to which thissuperheater can be applied, because, with proper constructions adaptedto it, it might be applied for almost all purposes of boiling,distilling, or heating where steam is used, and with great gain in theapplication.

I claim as my invention- 1. A series.of rings, A A A A, or any numberthereof, placed one above another, provided with bulbs, for the purposespecifled, and communicating with each other by connections inside thefurnace, substantially as shown and described.

2. The elements of the first claim, con structed and arranged as thereinspecified, in combination with a revcrbcratory furnace.

3. Jihe series of rings A A A A,'or any number thereof, communicating bydirect connections, on opposite sides inside the furnace, and providedwith the bulbs 12, substantially as specified.

4. The reverberatory furnace D, having a spiral, or substantiallyspiral, flue, H, built into the wall thereof,'substantially ashereinbefore set forth.

5. lhe combination of the series of rings A A A A A, or any numberthereof, connected as hereinbefore described, with a reverbatory furnacehaving a draft-flue leading from the lower part thereof, substantiallyas hereinbefore set forth.

LEFFERT R. CORNELL.

Witnesses BENJN. H. WILsoN, ARTHUR E. TAMPLET-

